větъ (Proto-Slavic)
Where does "větъ" come from?
The Proto-Slavic noun 'větъ', meaning 'agreement', originates from Proto-Balto-Slavic '*waitas'[1]. This form traces back further to Proto-Indo-European '*weyt-' (possibly '*weHyt-')[1]. Related cognates across other language branches include Lithuanian 'vaiténti' meaning 'to discuss', Old Prussian 'waitiāt' meaning 'to talk', Avestan 'vaēθa' meaning 'judgement', and Sanskrit forms meaning 'begging, asking' or 'to sound'[1]. Another proposed derivation from the Proto-Indo-European root '*wekʷ-' meaning 'to speak' has been dismissed on comparative grounds, as its expected outcome would be different[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate Proto-Indo-European source may be '*weyt-' or possibly '*weHyt-', and some alternative derivations are dismissed on comparative grounds. [1]
Full etymology tree
- *větъ (Proto-Slavic), 'agreement'
- inherited *waitas (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- derived *weyt- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *waitas (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
Ancestors
- *wekʷ- (Proto-Indo-European)
Cognates and doublets
- *veťь (Proto-Slavic)
Descendants and derived words
- *obětъ (Proto-Slavic)
- *otъvětъ (Proto-Slavic)
- *privětъ (Proto-Slavic)
- *sъvětъ (Proto-Slavic)
- *zavětъ (Proto-Slavic)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris